VOIP Service

Have you heard of VoIP service for your business? An acronym for “Voice over Internet Protocol,” VoIP has become a catch-all term for a now-familiar process: making and receiving calls using a device that has Internet access and audio capabilities. These devices include smartphones, laptops, tablets, desktops, and other specialized devices.

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VoIP service works in two distinct parts. First, a call is converted from analog voice signals into digital voice packets over the internet instantly. This is possible by software (known as a “softphone”). The second part of VoIP is connecting the caller and recipient with either of these devices to receive the digital voice packages, which are then routed to the final destination phone number or specific device.

Who Provides VoIP Service?

VoIP service is a popular service for businesses and individuals, with thousands of VoIP softphones available in the global market today. Some of the more common names you may have heard include:

Acrobits

Cisco

Csipsimple

Counterpath

Ekiga

Grandstream

Microsip

Mitel

Panasonic

Polycom

Skype

Viber

Xlite

Yealink

yTech

WhatsApp

Zoiper

There is a catch, though. While most of these softphones are free to install and use with VoIP providers, these VoIP services often come bundled as overpriced packages that users are required to use.

Similarly, there are also many VoIP phone device providers that exclusively focus on hardware for business and office use without bundling their devices with VoIP services. These universally-compatible devices establish VoIP protocols and can be configured to connect to a VoIP provider. The problem with devices without VoIP service is that users are not required to have a phone number registered on their softphones to make outbound VoIP calls. When making outbound VoIP calls without an associated user phone number, the recipient will see either no Caller ID or a system default Caller ID from the VoIP provider. This creates problems for businesses, as anonymous calls without a proper Caller ID are more often than not taken as spam calls and are mostly not picked up.

Global Call Forwarding’s outbound VoIP calling solution allows users to purchase a virtual phone number that can be used as a Caller ID on outbound VoIP calls (as well as for routing calls made by the virtual number to a destination number). This increases the chances of a number to be picked up by new clients and customers, while also eliminating the potential for your chosen number to be mistaken for spam marketers.

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Determining the Quality of VoIP Service

VoIP service varies widely across service providers. Some of these attributes include:

Resistance by a users/ business’ internal network security, such as firewalls and VPN applications.

The internet bandwidth of the VoIP service provider.

The quality of underlying call termination carriers around the world that route calls to destination phone numbers.
Pricing and add-ons (as a general rule, the lower the rates are for a VoIP provider, the lower the overall service quality).

As you can see, there are many factors that differentiate VoIP service providers and these should be considered carefully before selecting one. To determine what a decent VoIP service provider should offer, consider:

The number of years the VoIP service provider has been in business.

The number and usefulness of service features provided along with VoIP calling.

Where the VoIP provider is based in the world and the global footprint of their network.

Their long-term business clients.

The size of the company.

Terms of service (including long-term contracts and usage rates).

Online control panel options and functionality of online dashboards.

Payment options (i.e. PayPal, credit/ debit cards, wire transfers).

The ability to test the service on a trial basis before committing to purchase a viable plan.

Get VoIP From Global Call Forwarding

This is precisely where Global Call Forwarding understands what businesses and users want, offering versatile plans at affordable rates with the highest quality available. By choosing Global Call Forwarding, users can make outbound calls with VoIP using the virtual phone number they purchased. This can aid small businesses, individual entrepreneurs, startups and larger enterprises to expand their presence into new markets and enhance their communication efforts.

GCF also offers a number of add-ons, like call recording, simultaneous ringing, local access numbers, virtual SMS numbers, vanity numbers, mobile solutions, and so forth — all designed to help you expand your business and facilitate communication anywhere in the world.

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In the 21st century, business is conducted at the speed of the Internet. Traditional solutions to making and receiving phone calls are separating old business practices from new cutting-edge businesses that are taking advantage of the authenticity found in global markets, no matter where their company may be based. Therefore, if your organization is interested in VoIP service from Global Call Forwarding, visit www.globalcallforwarding.com to view the wealth of options for your business and life.